US Airways emergency landing in the Hudson - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ShaniFaye · 01-15-2009, 03:17 PM

Im sure a lot of us have read or been following this story,

Airplane crash-lands into Hudson River; all aboard reported safe - CNN.com

Quote:

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A US Airways plane with more than 150 people aboard went down in the Hudson River on Thursday after taking off from LaGuardia Airport, and everyone aboard apparently got off the plane alive, officials said.

Flight 1549, headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, may have experienced a bird strike, according to FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

Passenger Alberto Pinero said that within a couple minutes after takeoff, "you just heard a loud bang and the plane shook a bit."

Passengers could smell smoke, and "the plane just started turning. ... We knew something was going on, 'cause look, we were turning back," he said. Video Watch passenger say he heard a loud bang »

"Somehow, the plane stayed afloat and we were all able to get on a raft," Pinero said. "It's just incredible now that everyone's still alive."

The plane had 148 passengers, Brown said, and either five or six crew members on board when it took off at 3:26 p.m. It was airborne for less than three minutes, she said. Video Watch footage of plane in water »

Everyone on board is believed to have exited the Airbus A320, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The Coast Guard rescued 35 people, according to Coast Guard Cmdr. Ron LeBrec.

Roosevelt Hospital said it had received four passengers who were being treated for hypothermia, but had no further injures. Other hospitals were on alert.

The temperature in New York was 20 degrees about the time of the crash off Manhattan's west side.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane hit a flock of birds, Brown said. See map of crash site »

A source familiar with the situation told CNN the pilot reported a double bird strike, but it was unclear whether that meant birds in both of the engines or two birds in one engine.
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The pilot initially said he needed to go back, and air traffic controllers started to give him clearance to do so, but the pilot said he wanted to head to Teterboro, New Jersey, because it was closer. That was the last transmission from the pilot, the source said.

Pinero said the plane's captain came on the speaker and said, " 'Brace for impact.' "

"That's when we knew we were going down and into the water," Pinero said. Pinero said rescue boats arrived immediately.

"I think a lot of people started praying and just collecting themselves," passenger Fred Barretta said. "It was quite stunning." Video Watch passenger describe landing »

Barretta said he was expecting the plane to flip over and break apart, but it did not. "It was a great landing."

Live video showed the plane bobbing in the water and moving with the current surrounded by boats, including a ferry that dropped life jackets into the water.

Pictures from the scene showed passengers filing off the plane on safety chutes.

Witness Ben Vonklemperrer said he saw the plane go down.

"I'm in an office building on the 25th floor," he said. "A short time ago, I saw what looked to be a small commercial plane flying south making a gradual landing. I saw it hit the water. It made a big splash. ... If someone's going to land a plane in the water, this seemed the best possible way to do it. The way they hit it was very gradual. A very slow contact with the water."

Jerry Wallis, who said he was a private pilot, said he watched the plane go into the water.

"I've got to tell you, the people flying that airplane deserve all the recognition and commendation they can get," Wallis said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to the site, according to an agency spokesman.

Since 1975, five large jetliners have had major accidents in which bird strikes played a role, according to the Web site of Bird Strike Committee USA, a volunteer group dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of the strikes.

More than 56,000 bird strikes were reported to the FAA from 1998 to 2004 according to the group's Web site.

An Airbus A320 has 150 seats -- 12 in first class and 138 in economy, according to the Airbus Web site.

People who believe they may have had relatives on the flight may call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States, the airline said.

but I think this is really a most amazing picture

Thank goodness everyone survived, boy that must have been COLD

n0nsensical · 01-15-2009, 03:33 PM

I'd always thought the part about how to use your seat as a life preserver was just a ruse to make you feel better, but now I know.. planes CAN land on water!

uncle phil · 01-15-2009, 03:51 PM

pilot did the right thing the right way...

biznatch · 01-15-2009, 03:58 PM

Wow, I would've liked to see that first hand, a plane landing in the Hudson.

Tully Mars · 01-15-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle phil

pilot did the right thing the right way...

Wonder how many time he did that in the simulator thinking "yeah, like this is ever going to happen?"

Charlatan · 01-15-2009, 04:32 PM

How long until we start seeing footage from mobile phones and amateur video. My guess is that it will happen as soon as some news agency pays some good money to buy the footage.

Can't help thinking this is the first salvo in the birds war on us.

Tully Mars · 01-15-2009, 04:54 PM

"Please remain seated until the pilot... Oh my GOD!"

Actually of the interviews I've seen it sounds like everyone, pilots, crew and passengers handled the whole thing pretty damn well. Wonder if any videos from the passengers is going to show some big guy tossing grandma out of the way to get to the exit?

ShaniFaye · 01-15-2009, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlatan

How long until we start seeing footage from mobile phones and amateur video. My guess is that it will happen as soon as some news agency pays some good money to buy the footage.

Can't help thinking this is the first salvo in the birds war on us.

Im pretty sure the picture I posted is an amateur photo, there are loads of them on the ireport on cnn.com

Bear Cub · 01-15-2009, 05:46 PM

Of COURSE a plane crashes the one week I happen to be spending in Newark. Oh well, maybe everyone will be freaked out and the lines will be smaller for my flight home tomorrow.

Strange Famous · 01-16-2009, 11:13 AM

The bit I like is that, as the thing is slowly sinking, the pilot insisted on walking up and down the plane TWICE to be sure that everyone was off before he would leave.

150-odd people can count themselves very lucky that their lives were in the hands of a guy with balls of steel.
-----Added 16/1/2009 at 02 : 21 : 54-----

Quote:

Profile: Captain Chesley Sullenberger
If you could choose a pilot to crash-land your plane, Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger III would be a good choice.

Capt Sullenberger, 57, who ditched US Airlines Flight 1549 safely into the Hudson River in New York, has over 40 years of flying experience and heads his own safety consulting business.

The former US Air Force fighter pilot from California has served as an instructor and as an Airline Pilots Association (Alpa) safety chairman and accident investigator.

He has taken part in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations.

According to the New York Times newspaper, Capt Sullenberger is also a certified glider pilot.

Search for passengers

Capt Sullenberger has been widely praised for his "masterful landing", which was a "miracle on the Hudson", according to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Less than a minute after his Airbus A320 to Charlotte, North Carolina, took off, Capt Sullenberger reported a "double bird strike" and asked to return to the ground, an air controllers union spokesman said.

Both engines had apparently been disabled by a flock of birds.

According to air traffic controllers, an "eerie calm" defined their communications with the cockpit as their options dwindled and the pilot decided to ditch into the Hudson, a union official told Reuters news agency.

Incredibly, Capt Sullenberger managed to land the aircraft safely on the water.

Mayor Bloomberg said that the pilot told him that the captain then "walked the plane twice after everybody else was off and tried to verify that there was nobody else onboard".

Capt Sullenberger's wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, a fitness expert in Danville, California, said she learned of the crash when her husband called her on Thursday afternoon.

"He said, 'There's been an accident'," she told CNN.

"At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school," she said.

One of their neighbours, Candace Andersen, said the right pilot had been in charge at the time of the accident.

"You look at his training, you look at his experience - it was the right pilot at the right time in charge of that plane that saved so many lives," she said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Profile: Captain Chesley Sullenberger

Published: 2009/01/16 09:37:21 GMT

© BBC MMIX

BadNick · 01-16-2009, 12:35 PM

Congratulations for a great job by the whole crew, especially the pilot.

I haven't seen any vids yet but I also suspect they'll come out of the woodwork.

Esoteric · 01-16-2009, 12:40 PM

This story was mentioned to me last night, but all that was mentioned was that a plane had crash landed in the Hudson. I was under the impression there were casualties, but obviously I was wrong. :]

An impressive job by the pilot. Good to hear everyone made it out okay.

roachboy · 01-16-2009, 12:46 PM

this is a great image.

There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick... on TwitPic

one of those iconic images, the kind of second-length situation that somehow captures an entire historical moment.

telekinetic · 01-16-2009, 01:39 PM

I am the engineer in charge of designing and manufacturing the seatbelts that were on this plane (and most planes, actually), and I'm happy to report they functioned perfectly! It feels good to know you're making a difference! This is the type of accident that restraints are designed for--hard enough to need them, but not so hard they won't do any good--and it makes me happy to deal with all the bullcrap involved manufacturing something knowing it will save lives.

Also, (small world) my friend is an engineer who makes the escape slides/rafts, and he said there is a 5-step 'become raft' instruction printed on the top of the slide once it's deployed, so he's not sure why there are reports they needed a knife to be 'cut free'.

Additional factoid: A water landing is called 'ditching,' and an airbus engineer on a forum I'm on reported that A320's (and all Airbus planes) have a 'DITCHING' button in the cockpit that seals the plane as water tight as it can be by closing all the various inlets and vents. It's also used more commonly to seal the plane while the wings are being de-iced. This explains why the plane floated as long as it did, and if the pilot hadn't thought to hit it, it might not have.

World's King · 01-16-2009, 02:12 PM

Can you really call it a "landing" if you end up in a body of water... ?

Craven Morehead · 01-16-2009, 02:23 PM

Very interesting information twistedmosaic, my son's a commercial pilot. We spoke on the phone last night about bird strike. They are very common. After he had landed once, there was a turkey buzzard with its head embedded in a landing light. The rest of its body was dangling beneath it!

Commercial aviation never gets the praise it deserves. This is a great example on how sometimes everything works as its supposed to. Is it really a miracle when so much care, thought and training has been invested to make sure situations like this aren't disasters? Of course, its a miracle. But it was planned to be that way!

telekinetic · 01-16-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by World's King

Can you really call it a "landing" if you end up in a body of water... ?

Not really. That's why it's called a ditching.

edit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

The phrase "water landing" is also used as a euphemism for crash-landing into water in an aircraft not designed for the purpose. An intentional water landing during distress, but under controlled flight, is called ditching. Such water landings are somewhat common for small craft in general aviation and the military, but they are extremely rare for commercial passenger airlines.

-----Added 16/1/2009 at 05 : 32 : 06-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craven Morehead

Very interesting information twistedmosaic, my son's a commercial pilot. We spoke on the phone last night about bird strike. They are very common. After he had landed once, there was a turkey buzzard with its head embedded in a landing light. The rest of its body was dangling beneath it!

If you think to, ask him if the 'seal plane' button actually says 'ditching'

Craven Morehead · 01-17-2009, 08:30 AM

The plane my son flies does not have a single button that will seal the plane but there are steps to do so.

Video of the plane ditching in the Hudson here

01-15-2009, 03:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
n0nsensical Junkie Location: San Francisco	I'd always thought the part about how to use your seat as a life preserver was just a ruse to make you feel better, but now I know.. planes CAN land on water! __________________ "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." --Abraham Lincoln

01-15-2009, 03:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
uncle phil comfortably numb... Super Moderator Location: upstate	pilot did the right thing the right way... __________________ "We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done." - Robert S. McNamara ----------------------------------------- "We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches... We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles." - Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message" ----------------------------------------- never wrestle with a pig. you both get dirty; the pig likes it.

01-15-2009, 03:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
biznatch Junkie Location: France	Wow, I would've liked to see that first hand, a plane landing in the Hudson. __________________ Check it out: The Open Source/Freeware/Gratis Software Thread

01-15-2009, 04:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	How long until we start seeing footage from mobile phones and amateur video. My guess is that it will happen as soon as some news agency pays some good money to buy the footage. Can't help thinking this is the first salvo in the birds war on us. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

01-15-2009, 04:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
Tully Mars Living in a Warmer Insanity Super Moderator Location: Yucatan, Mexico	"Please remain seated until the pilot... Oh my GOD!" Actually of the interviews I've seen it sounds like everyone, pilots, crew and passengers handled the whole thing pretty damn well. Wonder if any videos from the passengers is going to show some big guy tossing grandma out of the way to get to the exit? __________________ I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

01-15-2009, 05:46 PM	#9 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Of COURSE a plane crashes the one week I happen to be spending in Newark. Oh well, maybe everyone will be freaked out and the lines will be smaller for my flight home tomorrow. __________________ Living in the United Socialist States of America.

01-16-2009, 12:35 PM	#11 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	Congratulations for a great job by the whole crew, especially the pilot. I haven't seen any vids yet but I also suspect they'll come out of the woodwork.

01-16-2009, 12:40 PM	#12 (permalink)
Esoteric Tired Location: Florida	This story was mentioned to me last night, but all that was mentioned was that a plane had crash landed in the Hudson. I was under the impression there were casualties, but obviously I was wrong. :] An impressive job by the pilot. Good to hear everyone made it out okay. __________________ From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

01-16-2009, 12:46 PM	#13 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	this is a great image. There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick... on TwitPic one of those iconic images, the kind of second-length situation that somehow captures an entire historical moment. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

01-16-2009, 01:39 PM	#14 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	I am the engineer in charge of designing and manufacturing the seatbelts that were on this plane (and most planes, actually), and I'm happy to report they functioned perfectly! It feels good to know you're making a difference! This is the type of accident that restraints are designed for--hard enough to need them, but not so hard they won't do any good--and it makes me happy to deal with all the bullcrap involved manufacturing something knowing it will save lives. Also, (small world) my friend is an engineer who makes the escape slides/rafts, and he said there is a 5-step 'become raft' instruction printed on the top of the slide once it's deployed, so he's not sure why there are reports they needed a knife to be 'cut free'. Additional factoid: A water landing is called 'ditching,' and an airbus engineer on a forum I'm on reported that A320's (and all Airbus planes) have a 'DITCHING' button in the cockpit that seals the plane as water tight as it can be by closing all the various inlets and vents. It's also used more commonly to seal the plane while the wings are being de-iced. This explains why the plane floated as long as it did, and if the pilot hadn't thought to hit it, it might not have. __________________ twisted no more Last edited by telekinetic; 01-16-2009 at 01:44 PM..

01-16-2009, 02:12 PM	#15 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Can you really call it a "landing" if you end up in a body of water... ? __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

01-16-2009, 02:23 PM	#16 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	Very interesting information twistedmosaic, my son's a commercial pilot. We spoke on the phone last night about bird strike. They are very common. After he had landed once, there was a turkey buzzard with its head embedded in a landing light. The rest of its body was dangling beneath it! Commercial aviation never gets the praise it deserves. This is a great example on how sometimes everything works as its supposed to. Is it really a miracle when so much care, thought and training has been invested to make sure situations like this aren't disasters? Of course, its a miracle. But it was planned to be that way!

01-17-2009, 08:30 AM	#18 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	The plane my son flies does not have a single button that will seal the plane but there are steps to do so. Video of the plane ditching in the Hudson here